So far, there have been too few defections to cause President Viktor Yanukovych’s government to crumble.

Bohdan Yaremenko, who was Ukraine's consul-general in Istanbul, condemned a brutal dispersal of a peaceful rally in Kyiv by the government. “I don’t want to (be associated) with such an oppressive system,” he said.

By:Maria DanilovaThe Associated Press, Published on Wed Jan 29 2014

KYIV, UKRAINE—For several years, Ihor Medelyan worked for a government he didn’t support. He endured his job at a state-owned Ukrainian TV channel because he loved being a journalist and had a family to feed.

But after a brutal police crackdown on anti-government protesters two months ago, Medelyan just couldn’t accept his employer’s stance. First National Channel, a government mouthpiece, blamed protesters for provoking police, which contradicted countless witnesses.

“There came a moment when I said: ‘My family, please forgive me, but I must do it. I just must quit and leave it all behind me,’” said Medelyan, 32, as he stood in front of tall barricades near government buildings where protesters and police have clashed.

While there aren’t any official figures to give a sense of how widespread the phenomenon is, Medelyan isn’t alone. Throughout the protesters’ camps, there are stories of Ukrainians who have left their state jobs or publicly condemned the government after scores of protesters were beaten or kidnapped, and at least three died in vicious street fighting.

Four journalists have left First National Channel since the protests began, Medelyan said.

Far away from Kyiv, Ukraine’s consul-general in Istanbul, Bohdan Yaremenko, saw news of the beatings and put up a Facebook post accusing the government of being “fascists.” He was soon pulled back to Kyiv.

“Police beating people in the streets of Kyiv was a point of no return for me,” said Yaremenko, who joined the anti-government protest in Kyiv together with his wife and two children when they returned.

“I don’t want to (be associated) with such an oppressive system,” he said. “I don’t want to be a part of it. I don’t want to be responsible for it.”

Yaremenko, a 20-year career diplomat, says he will not return to work at the Foreign Ministry under the current government and he is working to start a civic group to promote Ukraine abroad.

So far, there have been too few defections to cause President Viktor Yanukovych’s government to crumble. He still controls parliament and the feared security forces. That makes the defections all the more commendable in the eyes of protesters, because many of those who spoke out are now jobless and fear government retaliation.

Although the defectors have been relatively few, abandoning comfortable jobs underlines growing discontent with Yanukovych’s rule. Over the past few days, demonstrations have spread from Kyiv to other parts of the country, even arising in eastern Ukraine, which has been Yanukovych’s loyal political base.

Medelyan, meanwhile, has found a new job as a reporter for a media freedom watchdog. As protesters behind him filled giant white bags with crushed ice to fortify barricades, he reflected on his decision.

“There is a line. Either you tread close to it and slowly move away or you cross that line,” he said.